History

Background:
I received my Master’s degree in Information from the School of Information at the University of Michigan. Upon graduation, I was awarded a GAANN doctoral fellowship to the School of Library and Information Science at Indiana University. I recently completed my Ph.D. in Information Science.

Interests

Research:
I am interested in examining the social aspects of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Currently, I am examining the various dimensions of citizenship and its relation to ICTs. I also have a strong desire to study issues that relate to broadband access, digital inequality, and social and community informatics.

Personal:
I enjoy playing basketball and following UH athletics. I like to tinker around with computer technologies and devices. I also appreciate relaxing at the beach.

Instruction

Teaching:
My main areas of teaching are in sociotechnical studies, social informatics, information and communication technologies, digital divide and social media. I am particularly interested in how information and communication technologies are adopted to improve social life.

Advising:
I advise students in a number of areas related to information and communication technologies (ICTs). Research projects generally concern sociotechnical contexts, social informatics and the digital divide but I am interested in advising in all areas related to ICTs.

Publications

Digital Citizenship or Inequality? Linking Internet Use and Education to Electoral Engagement in the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election Campaign (2014):
This study examines the relationship between digital citizenship, digital inequality, education, and electoral engagement in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. To begin, the paper provides an overview of the concept of digital citizenship as an important way to associate frequent Internet use with economic, civic and political outcomes. Next, the study problematizes this relationship by examining the recent research on digital inequality particularly emphasizing the way that skills and use can further differentiate Internet users. Education is also a primary mechanism behind citizenship characteristics and should be considered for digital citizenship. Accordingly, electoral engagement, which is strongly influenced by education, is the focal outcome for this study. Despite these concerns, findings show that digital citizenship, understood as frequent home Internet use with a high speed connection, is a significant predictor for electoral engagement in the 2008 election. However, when accounting for the characteristics of digital citizenship among Internet users, education stratifies Internet use leading those with college degrees to have a higher involvement in electoral engagement than lesser educated users. The effects of education on both digital skills and electoral engagement risk the potential for the Internet to augment social inequalities rather than lessen them. Findings suggest that digital citizenship should be broadened to include a set of digital skills that are more likely to account for differentiated Internet uses. With respect to improving electoral engagement, a closer examination of Internet activities undertaken by high status Internet users may provide a useful staring point.
Download PublicationType: Internal reports and other unpublished work

Opportunities and Challenges for First-Mile Development in Rural Hawaiian Communities (2014):
Increasing recognition of the 'digital divide' faced by First Nations communities in Canada and the United States has highlighted the role of community-driven broadband development in improving the quality of life and enabling self-determination in indigenous communities. Like other First Nations, Native Hawaiians struggle with linguistic and cultural preservation, and to gain equal access to educational and economic opportunities and health care. Many rural communities, including those comprised of indigenous Hawaiians, suffer from a lack of critical infrastructures. To date, efforts to address these disparities through information and
communication technology (ICT) deployment have focused on a top-down approach at both the federal and state level, with the exception of limited community-based efforts that have largely focused on urban gaps and are not specific to Native Hawaiian concerns. In this paper, we describe specific challenges faced by Native Hawaiian communities in developing affordable, high-quality broadband access. We begin with a review of discussions about community-driven broadband development and digital self-determination, and then present Hawai?i as a case with unique physical, political, and socio-cultural challenges. Finally, we conclude by exploring the potential for community-initiated broadband projects that will enable more self-determination for indigenous Hawaiians in the planning and management of broadband networks and services.
Download PublicationType: Articles in international or national refereed journals
Co-Authors: Jenifer S. Winter (1st author), Patricia A. Buskirk
Keywords: First Mile, Hawaii, Broadband, Rural, Digital Divide

Social Connectedness Online / Offline. Needs of Some Vulnerable Populations in a Digital World. The Homeless Population Case (2014):
We are witness to unprecedented opportunities for information discovery thanks to the hypertextual linking and Web technologies. Advantages for citizens are numerous, opening opportunities with a single click. We can not only re-find or discover information but it has become the default media for a rich social networking, making possible links among information objects and its producers and consumers. It is becoming our main tool to satisfy basic information needs related to health, housing, job seeking, education, research, entertainment, shopping. Equally or even more important is the possibilities of connectedness offered by social media systems and technologies in terms of peer and or emotional support. Unfortunately these technologies can also increase the inequity for those populations who don’t have access to them. Factors that influence “access” include having network connectivity, equipment (computer, cell phones) and different kinds of literacy (informational, technology & digital literacy).

In this paper we discuss preliminary recent findings of an ongoing project aimed at Assessing the Role of Computers, Mobile Phones, and Social Network Sites on Homeless Social Capital and Social Relationships.

The paper introduces the problem, citing related studies, describing the methodology used and preliminary results and analysis. Our goal is to present information that may be used to orient Communications Technologies (ICTs) agendas of researchers, government, non -profit, educators, etc.

Digital Citizenship and the Good Life: How Internet use Leads to Economic Opportunity in the South Caucasus (2013):
The global development of networked information and communication technologies (ICTs) has often been associated with collective benefits in society. ICTs provide both an immediate political or economic benefit for an individual and also a “spillover” benefit to society as a whole. These benefits arguably form the basis for “the good life” that can be acquired through consistent and quality access to emergent ICTs. To this end, an important question to ask is whether the acquisition of digital skills among those least likely to have them (i.e. low-income and less-educated workers) is enough to provide “the good life.” Therefore, those who are already disadvantaged in terms of discrimination and lesser skills may have an additional disadvantage as networked ICTs spread globally.

The research presented explores this issue in the South Caucasus which is comprised of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The South Caucasus represented a unique context because all countries have high literacy rates but low economic well-being and Internet infrastructure. Using survey data from the 2010 Caucasus Research Resource Center, the study applied the concept of digital citizenship developed by Mossberger and colleagues to economic well-being. Internet use differentiated by frequency (daily use of the Internet) and location of use (work or home) significantly influenced the economic well-being for citizens in the South Caucasus. Most notable is that those who were less-educated but acquired Internet access in some form had improved economic access to “the good life.”

Self-Presentation and Social Network Sites: A Socio-technical Perspective on the Imagined Audience (2013):
Managing self-presentation has become a way of life in the world of social network sites (SNS). Recent research has demonstrated two important phenomenon taking place with respect to SNS and audience. One is that there are different ways that people utilize the technological affordances within social network sites to manage their self-presentation to both visible and invisible audiences. SNS have a variety of technological features such as friend's lists and privacy settings that contribute to visualizing audience. Two is that SNS users are also social actors that have developed an increased awareness to networked life online due to the social context of SNS. SNS generally favor an online community that is built on offline social bonds rather than common interests. This leads SNS actors to closely examine content created by others while also interpreting their own content through other people's eyes. In addition, actors employ SNS to address their own goals and motivations. Drawing on a structuration framework proposed by LItt (2012), this research study will examine audience in SNS as a socio-technical phenomenon.
Using reliable measures based on prior research on SNS, data will be collected on individual, social and technological factors that influence how users imagine audience on SNS. Audience will be measured by how conscious SNS actors are toward evaluating and classifying audience with respect to size, diversity, and closeness. This research will contribute to the science and technology studies literature by specifically situating the social actor and audience within the socio-technical context of SNS.

Annual Meeting of the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) 2013
San Diego, CA
Type: Refereed conference contributions

Assessing the Role of Computers, Mobile Phones, & Social Network Sites on the Homeless Social Capital and Social Relationships (2013):
Our long-term goal is to evaluate how ICTs impact the homeless problem in the state of Hawaii. Towards that goal, the objective of this proposal is to situate the access and use of ICTs within the wider social world of the homeless in Honolulu. By observing how ICTs embed within social networks and help to address everyday life needs, our research approach looks beyond the digital technologies to evaluate the social and technical nature of the problem. The central hypothesis in our research proposal is that ICTs act as agents of change for homeless individuals to support life transitions out of homelessness.
Download PublicationType: Grants (funded, approved but not funded, submitted pending approval)
Co-Authors: Luz Quiroga
Keywords: Homelessness, Information and Communication Technologies, Digital Divide

Relating Digital Citizenship to Democratic Hopes in the South Caucasus (2013):
The concept of digital citizenship has received little attention outside of Western countries and contexts. This exploratory study seeks to evaluate the utility of the concept of digital citizenship by comparatively examining three countries in the South Caucasus: Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Everyday Internet users comprise a very small part of the population in the South Caucasus and are an educated, computer-savvy elite. Digital citizenship is defined as having Internet access at home and using the Internet frequently (every day). Prior research by Mossberger and colleagues (2007, 2008) demonstrates that digital citizenship is a prerequisite for engaging in political life both online and offline. However, countries in the South Caucasus lack the presence of an effective civil society and, like many countries in the former Soviet Union, are ruled by pseudo-democratic regimes. Therefore, what are the possibilities for digital citizenship in the South Caucasus? This paper will examine two possibilities. One possible avenue for political participation is traditional political participation such as the likelihood to vote. Preliminary research results have shown that digital citizenship is not a good predictor for the likelihood to vote in an upcoming election. Another possibility is the belief in democratic principles. Perhaps where expressions of traditional political participation are viewed as inauthentic, could digital citizenship predict the belief in democratic ideals? Using 2010 survey data from the Caucasus Research Resource Center, an empirical model will be evaluated and tested. Comparisons between Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan on the possibilities for digital citizenship will be discussed.

Digital Citizenship in the South Caucasus: A Comparative Analysis between Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan (2012):
The concept of digital citizenship has received little attention outside of Western countries and contexts. This exploratory study seeks to evaluate the utility of the concept of digital citizenship by comparatively examining three countries in the South Caucasus region: Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Using survey data from the Caucasus Research Resource Center, an empirical model will be evaluated and tested. In particular, this model will test empirical measures of digital citizenship on political attitudes and outcomes that coincide with the research literature. Comparisons between Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan on the effectiveness of digital citizenship will be summarized. In addition, this research will also contribute to empirically evaluating the claims of digital citizenship in a unique political and geographic area of the world.
Download PublicationType: Refereed conference contributions
Co-Authors: Lala Hajibayova
Keywords: Digital citizenship, Caucasus, Internet, politics

Research Projects

Su Veney-Malcou UROP on Tumblr (2014 -): University of Hawai’i at Manoa Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program 2014
Susan Necole Veney-Malcou
Undergraduate of Communications B.A.
Under direction of Professor Wayne Buente

Since the 1960’s, television has played a critical role in shaping the racial discourse of American society. Many academics repeatedly confirm that representations of racial minorities largely contribute to the stereotypical images, both negative and positive, that viewers develop concerning the minorities portrayed (Ford, 1997; Persson & Musher-Eizenmann, 2003; Monk-Turner et al., 2010). As Elizabeth Monk-Turner, Mary Heiserman, Crystle Johnson, Vanity Cotton, and Manny Jackson observed in their 2010 study of the portrayal of racial minorities on prime time television, American television has made strides towards equal representation for all races with prime time television series such as Grey’s Anatomy, Hawaii Five-0, Scandal, and Dexter which all feature casts rich in racial diversity. Nevertheless, mainstream media continues to fail in providing minorities with realistic portrayals of themselves. Research into the affects of color consciousness on the self-esteem of Black and African-American youths continues to find that “the salience of racial physiognomy in American society and the mixed signals that continue to emenate” have profound affects on the development of self-esteem and self-concept of African-American youths (Caord et al., 2001). Meanwhile, numerous Information and Communication Technology (ICT) studies show that minorities are counteracting this treatment by increasingly generating their own symbolic content on the internet to reconstruct their identities and disseminate positive and dynamic representations of their communities and themselves. Maria Kopacz and Bessie Lee Lawton found in their 2010 study on Native American use of YouTube that “[Native Americans] appeared to be central figures in the videos [and] [a]nother uplifting finding was the low incidence of stereotypical depcitions”; from their results, Kopacz and Lawton were able to conclude that user-generated content (UGC) sites “are environments where more updated, diverse, respectful depictions of such groups can and do emerge” and can be utilized strategically to […] influence […] perceptions in society” (Kopacz & Lee, 2010). It can be argued that this is largely due to the technical features available on many social media sites. Tumblr - a little researched platform - is described as a blogging and social networking site that offers users a wide range of affordances. Tumblr users can post original text, photos, quotes, links, music, and videos; “reblog” other users’ content as it was posted or make adjustments to the content before publishing it to their own blogs (Tumblr, 2014). As Paul Boutin wrote in a small article for the New York Times, Tumblr’s design “makes blogging blissfully easy” (Boutin, 2009). However, what little research has been done regarding the platform hugely ignores the demographics of who is taking advantage of the sites many features and to what end. Similarly, many scholars also neglect the study of Black usage of social media outside of the context of the “digital divide”.Therefore, this project aims to bring attention to Black/African-American’s usage of social media sites - specifically African-American women’s use of Tumblr as a site of social activism in which they can form an empowered network with the ability to educate, encourage, support, and represent themselves in significant and symbolic ways; and also examine what affordances Tumblr offers specifically that allow users to create and maintain such an environment.
Type: Research

Self-Presentation and Social Network Sites: A Socio-technical Perspective on the Imagined Audience (2013 -): My research project examines how college students envision the audience when they participate on social network sites (SNS). The idea of audience on social network sites is a complicated one because "friend" has multiple meanings in the world of SNS. For example, one’s Facebook friends can be very close friends but also could be parents and professors. Prior research has shown that knowing how to use privacy settings on SNS represents one way to demonstrate that the SNS user is cognizant of the wider audience that may or may not be viewing his profile content.

Other factors may also contribute toward imagined audience formation on SNS. From a sociotechnical perspective, both social and technical factors may explain how a college student envisions their SNS profile audience. I hypothesize that the extent that college students engage in self-monitoring behavior positively predicts greater understanding in both the size and diversity of their SNS profile audience. Other factors include their use of certain technical features (such as privacy settings and friend’s lists), their offline activity with friends and family, Internet skills, and motivation for using SNS.
Type: Research

Awards & Honors

College of Social Sciences Research Support Award (2013):
Research Project: Assessing the Role of Computers, Mobile Phones, & Social Network Sites on the Homeless Social Capital and Social Relationships
Award: $9000
Social Science Research Institute

Principal Investigators: Wayne Buente and Luz Quiroga

Summer Research Institute for the Science of Socio-Technical Systems Participant (2012):
CSST2012: Summer Research Institute for the Science of Sociotechnical Systems
The Bishop’s Lodge Resort, Santa Fe, NM, USA
July 29 – August 2, 2012

A science of sociotechnical systems is emerging from research in the fields of CSCW, social computing, social informatics, the sociology of computing, HCI, information systems and other related intellectual communities. The Consortium for the Science of Sociotechnical systems (CSST, see www.sociotech.net) is an organization devoted to advancing research on sociotechnical systems. Building on the success of the four previous Summer Research Institutes, the CSST will, with generous support by the National Science Foundation, again be hosting a summer research institute for advanced doctoral students, post-doctoral scholars, and pre-tenure faculty. A primary goal of the institute is to build a new cohort of faculty and graduate students who are interested in research on the design and interplay of the social and technical that spans levels of individuals, groups, organizations, and larger communities.